Anabolic steroid possession for personal use is technically legal in Canada although a steroid user lacking a medical prescription could have the drug seized. Only steroid trafficking, steroid manufacturing and steroid importation are illegal under Canadian law. The penalties for steroid importation are not always particularly severe in the absence of evidence of distribution.
S. Satir, Ph.D. of Canada, a civil engineer and top amateur bodybuilder, was fined $1000 after he pleaded guilty to one charge of “failing to report imported goods” in May 2009. The Crown dropped one charge of “smuggling prohibited goods” as part of the plea agreement.
Satir was caught in possession of approximately 26,000 tablets consisting of six different types of steroids and five different bodybuilding ancillary drugs on February 4, 2009. Customs officials at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport discovered the drugs repackaged in supplement bottles and a wooden backgammon set in Satir’s luggage. Satir was returning home to Canada on a flight from the United States after visiting Turkey for two months (”Bodybuilder fined $1,000 for trying to bring steroids, other pills into country,” May 27).
Mr. Satir told investigators that he had purchased the drugs in Turkey for $2,000.
“He advised that he had obtained the pills for his own personal use, and the Crown has no evidence to the contrary,” federal prosecutor Suhanya Edwards told the court. Read more
Glenn Donald England pleaded guilty to possession of steroids for the purpose of trafficking in Canadian Provincial Court on April 15, 2009. England admitted conspiring with GenXXL and Axio Labs founder Brian Wainstein to distribute significant quantities of steroid tablets and steroid injectable products in 2006. (”Edmonton cops bust steroid trafficker,” April 16).
According to agreed facts, England was busted after an eight-month undercover operation by city police and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that ended with an Oct. 10, 2006, raid at his west Edmonton apartment. [...]
There was also evidence found linking England to Irish steroid king Brian Wainstein, including itemized steroid orders on Wainstein’s website, names and addresses of customers, courier delivery receipts, phone records, money transfer receipts and computer text messages.
According to the agreed facts, between Feb. 7, 2006, and Oct. 30, 2006, England was in possession of 640,000 steroid tablets and 37.7 litres of steroid oil, valued at from $1.6 million to $2.3 million, that were sent by Wainstein.
The Edmonton Police cooperated with Irish police in a joint investigation after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted a package from Wainstein containing anabolic steroids. Law enforcement monitored telephone conversations between England and Wainstein over the ensuing eight months. Canadian authorities arranged 17 controlled deliveries of steroid powders and steroid injectables shipped by Wainstein from Moldova, Hong Kong and China. Read more
Fernando Reis, the mastermind behind the underground lab Azorian World Order as well as a large-scale British Dragon counterfeit operation, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking and importing anabolic steroids and prescription drugs into Canada. Reis was sentenced on March 6, 2009 to time served and two years probation. The Azorian World Order (AWO), the “defender of the free world,” was the umbrella company of a multi-million dollar underground Canadian steroid lab and steroid counterfeit operation.
Azorian World Order (AWO) did not sell steroids under its own label but sold them under the labels of various other underground labs. Fernando Reis counterfeited steroid labels that were already well-established on the black market such as British Dragon. Reis may have manufactured anabolic steroid products for various underground labs (UGLs) throughout Canada such as Teragon Labs and Oropharma Labs. It is unclear whether Reis supplied these UGLs with product or simply counterfeited them. Fernando Reis also produced fake Pfizer Viagra medications. He also counterfeited various supplement brands, such as Andro Technologies and Future Nutrition, and sold them to health and fitness stores in Canada.
The Intermunicipal Police of Thérèse-De Blainville publicly announced the completion of its investigation into the distribution of Syrus Labs, a major Canadian underground lab (UGL) specializing in anabolic steroids. The announcement comes over five months after the steroid bust presumably to allow time for the laboratory at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier to perform chemical analysis on the seized drugs.
Frédéric Vigeant was arrested and faces multiple charges related to the production, counterfeiting and possession of anabolic steroids and controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking, and a charge related to illegal firearms possession (”Pharmacie clandestine démantelée,” December 10).
Frédéric Vigeant was busted on July 25, 2008 when police responded to a domestic disturbance at the home of Frédéric Vigeant in an affluent neighborhood in Sainte-Thérèse, a suburb north of Montreal, during which they observed significant quantities of tablets and a couple of cannabis plants in plainview. Acting on this information, law enforcement obtained a search warrant and searched and seized substantial quantities of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs labelled under the Syrus Labs brand as well as recreational drugs (marijuana and amphetamines) stored in the basement of the residence Read more
The proprietor of Illusion Labs, a formerly popular Canadian underground steroid lab (UGL), is going to trial in Bridgewater provincial court on January 12-14, 2009 as part of Operation Scott Free which targeted Illusion Labs and its customers. Kevin Wayne Tanner faces various charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Customs Act that including importing, smuggling, possession, exporting, producing and trafficking anabolic steroids (”Trial time shortened in internet steroids case,” December 2).
Mr. Tanner, 40, faces charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Customs Act and the Food and Drug Act involving raw hormones, steroids and counteracting drugs he was allegedly importing, producing and selling over the internet.
Authorities are also alleging that his home, a car, an investment account and cash seized are proceeds of his crimes.
Investigators found what they estimated to be $400,000 worth of steroids, raw hormone products, lab equipment and $46,000 cash when they searched Mr. Tanner’s Elm Street home in late January 2007.
They allege he used a series of false names, fake addresses, postal outlets and courier companies to buy raw hormone products from China over the internet, which he then processed into anabolic steroids in a lab set up in a spare bedroom in his home and sold to customers across Canada and the United States.
Authorities found 21 types of steroids and four drugs to counteract the side effects of steroid use during the probe. They say Mr. Tanner promoted the sale of his products, under the name Illusion Laboratories, in internet chat rooms and on message boards.
Kevin Tanner was busted as a result of a 15-month investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Bridgewater Police. The investigation originated with the discovery of raw steroid power by CBSA entering Canada from China in April 2005 evenutally resulting in the Nova Scotia steroid bust on January 22, 2007 where an operational steroid lab was discovered in an upstairs bedroom. Operation Scott Free continued to investigate 200 to 300 customers of Illusion Labs in Canada as well as the United States Read more
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) thanked governments around the world for joining them in their efforts to internationalize steroid law around the world during a ceremony to celebrate the ratification of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005 by over 100 countries.
WADA has explicitly stated their desire for all national governments to criminalize the use of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs as defined in the WADA code. WADA’s politically-correct and moralistic agenda, like U.S. steroid law enforcement policy, seeks to pressure and coerce other governments to think alike and conform to accept its policy as the defacto international anti-steroid policy (”WADA praises governments for anti-doping stance,” November 12).
WADA’s David Howman said Wednesday that 102 countries have ratified the UNESCO Convention on Doping in Sport since it came into force nearly two years ago. It means anti-doping measures become part of national law in the countries that have ratified the agreement.
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“We’re not there yet, we still have a long way to go. (Doping) is too easy in many countries because there are not strong enough laws,” Howman said. “Let’s enhance the fight through legislation.”
Steroid policy experts have been critical of the internationalization of steroid law for its highly politicized and moralistic agenda. Philip Sweitzer analyzes the trend of political correctness in the current debate on steroid law policy that has troubling consequences for countries around the world Read more
Bishop Dolegiewicz, who was former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson’s first supplier of anabolic steroids, died at the age of 55 on October 28, 2008. Dolegiewicz was a three-time Olympic track and field athlete for Canada and considered one of the all-time best throwers (particularly in the shot put and discus) in sports history. He also competed in the World’s Strongest Man competition and was widely considered to be one of the strongest men in the world. His accomplishments as an athlete and as a coach are legendary and deserving of tribute. However, since this is an anabolic steroid blog, I will focus on Dolegiewicz significant role in the history of anabolic steroids in sports.
When Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for stanozolol during the 100 meter finals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the reaction triggered the largest government-sponsored investigation into performance enhancing drugs in history by Canada. The Dubin “Commission of Inquiry into the Use of Drugs and Banned Practices Intended to Increase Athletic Performance” (aka Dubin Inquiry) produced 14,000 pages of testimony from 119 witnesses at the cost of $3-4 million in 1989. The Dubin Inquiry is credited with breaking the code of omertà regarding anabolic steroid use in sports.
The Dubin Inquiry also revealed that Bishop Dolegiewicz was widely considered to be a major steroid supplier for many track and field athletes in Canada, including Ben Johnson. He was also known for his expertise and knowledge on anabolic steroids and anabolic pharmacology. Read more
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Drug Section seized over 2 kilograms of anabolic steroid powder at a residence in Prince George, British Columbia on Halloween. A joint operation between the Prince George RCMP and Canadian Border Services Agency uncovered the steroid powder coming into Canada from China. The recipient of the Chinese steroid powder faces various drug distribution charges including the importation of a controlled substance (anabolic steroids) into Canada (”Police execute Halloween drug bust,” November 1).
In the past two weeks alone, law enforcement in British Columbia has arrested individuals for importing and/or distributing anabolic steroids in Victoria, North Vancouver, and now Prince George. Are the recent steroid busts a harbinger of a major steroid crackdown in British Columbia in preparation for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games? The privilege of hosting the Olympic Games is usually accompanied by increased pressure on the host city (and host country) to step up their anti-doping efforts via law enforcement.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Drug Section arrested at least eight individuals suspected of involvement in anabolic steroid trafficking during steroids bust as a result of Operation Jellybean in January 2007. The steroid bust disrupted hundreds of thousands of dollars in anabolic steroids sales throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and even Ontario.
Defendant Mark Anthony Haig pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy to traffic anabolic steroids and prescription drugs. At least two of his co-conspirators are standing trial for steroid-related crimes in the next few months Read more
The owners of the SVN Canada in North Vancouver, British Columbia were arrested for allegedly selling the anabolic steroid methyl-1-testosterone (M1T) to teenagers. The arrest comes less than a week after an employee of ‘Your Vitamin Store’ (YVS Victoria) in nearby Victoria, British Columbia was also arrested for selling M1T. Charges in both cases involved trafficking and possession of a controlled substance (anabolic steroids) (”North Van RCMP arrest nutrition shop owners for alleged steroid sales to teens,” October 20).
Const. Marlene Morton said “a substantial amount” of a bodybuilding drug called Methyl-1-Testosterone was seized from Lower Lonsdale area shop SVN Canada, following a year-long investigation.
The store’s owners, Joao Melo, 28, and Sylvie Tran, 26, of North Vancouver, have been charged with trafficking in a controlled substance and further charges are pending, Morton said.
Health Canada issued a warning in April 2006 advising all consumers that M1T was an illegal anabolic steroid. The recent steroid arrests may be the beginning of a crackdown on illicit performance enhancing drugs in advance of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
M1T was legally sold and marketed as a “prohormone” in the United States as an over-the-counter “dietary supplement” until the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 made it illegal on January 20, 2005.
Will Canada crackdown on anabolic steroids in preparation for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games? The steroid crackdown at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was understandable given the long history of China’s manufacture and distribution of raw and finished anabolic steroid and performance enhancing products. But does anyone think steroids are a problem in Canada? After all, steroids are responsible for saving lives in Vancouver! Nonetheless, we may be seeing the beginning of a steroid crackdown in the region.
Victoria Police have arrested an employee of ‘Your Vitamin Store’ (YVS) in the Mayfair Shopping Centre in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). The steroid bust involved a 33-year old employee now facing criminal charges for selling Methyl 1-Testosterone (M1T) in bottles of 90 capsules for $109.95. Most consumers consider M1T a “prohormone.” The employee was charged with six counts of trafficking in a controlled substance (anabolic steroids) and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking (anabolic steroids). Read more
